Talking About Quora: Why does Quora allow so many loaded anti-Trump questions that obviously are not looking for genuine answers?


If you are a regular reader of A Certain Point of View. you know that one of the blog's regular features is Talking About....in which I share some of my answers to political questions that I've run across on Quora, a popular questions-and-answers website. I am not, or at least I didn't use to be, a political junkie, but ever since Donald Trump was elected to the White House, I express my beliefs and, more often than not, vent my anger over Trump's behavior and policies in those answers, especially when I'm replying to obviously loaded pro-Trump "questions."

Yesterday, for instance, I ran into this masterpiece of "faux outrage" from Charles Arnold, a South Dakota pastor and Trump fan:

Why does Quora allow so many loaded anti-Trump questions that obviously are not looking for genuine answers?
I replied: 


Well, for one thing, the concept of Quora, at least according to its mission statement, is to promote the sharing of useful information in a questions-and-answers format.
(Personally, I think that’s a load of dingo’s kidneys; Quora, like most Internet businesses, wants to generate income for its owners and investors through lots of traffic and eyeballs on its ads. But I digress.)
Ostensibly, that’s why any Tom, Dick, and Jane can create an account, preferably just one (although there are those people who think they can get away with opening multiple accounts), and is allowed to write questions on any topic, including such taboo topics as sex and pornography.
Of course, this means that politics, which not a taboo topic and is always relevant, is going to be a popular subject of both questions and answers.
It goes without saying that we live in polarized times. As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen such an overheated political environment since I was a child in the Sixties and early Seventies.
Consequently, in addition to the rare sincere politically-themed questions on Quora about any politician (be it Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren, Rodrigo Duterte, Ivan Duque, or Vladimir Putin), you are going to see highly partisan individuals from both sides of the aisle inundating Quora with loaded, insincere questions.
Another thing, sweet summer child, is this. Quora allows people to write “so many loaded anti-Trump questions that obviously are not looking for genuine answers” because it also allows Trump supporters to write so many loaded pro-Trump questions such as:
And this:
And this:
And this:

Shall I go on? I have lots more in my profile’s Answers list.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How many movies have been made based on Stephen King's 'It'?

Talking About Tom Clancy's 'Ryanverse': Was Jack Ryan a Republican or a Democrat?

Movie Review: 'PT-109'